1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sled for recreational use on snow, especially in the manner of a toboggan, and which has the ability to tilt under the control of the user for cornering or for traversing slopes. The sled has a generally conventional surrounding frame, offering some protection against snow spray.
2. Prior Art
Some known types of sleds are tiltable; these generally fall into two classes.
Firstly, there are sleds which are tilted by the operator leaning to one side or the other. In some of these, the runners are intended to simulate the effect of skis. Obviously, control of such sleds would require some practice. Examples of such sleds are shown in the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,173,703, issued Mar. 16,1965 to Isenberger;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,338,589, issued Aug. 29, 1967 to Barton et al.;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,466, issued Mar. 19, 1991 to Den Hartog;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,925, issued Aug. 9, 1994 to Dolson; and
Canadian Pat. No. 777,681, issued Feb. 6, 1968 to Tonelli.
Other sleds are known, especially of the bob-sled type, in which the tilting of the sled, along with steering, is controlled by a steering wheel, or other hand operated means. These types of sled are often intended for racing, and tend to be complicated and expensive. Another perceived drawback of such sleds is that they cannot safely be used by a person holding a small child in his or her arms, as is often needed in recreational tobogganing. Examples of such sleds are shown in the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,532,887, issued Dec. 5, 1950 to Bor;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,234, issued Sep. 3, 1974 to Schreiber;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,506, issued Jul. 19, 1977 to Scheib; and
Italian Patent No. 453,644, issued Jan. 26, 1949.